The Children’s Hospital Charity’s award-winning snowflake appeal has helped raise over £1m for Sheffield Children’s Hospital since its inception.

Beginning with just eight decorations on the main hospital site, the campaign has since spread to places across the Trust and across Yorkshire. Instrumental to this expansion over the past three years has been Lincolnshire-based Christmas supply company Fizzco.

During their first year supporting The Children’s Hospital Fizzco helped install 20 snowflakes and the partnership has grown ever since. This year, the company is helping to support the install of over 100 snowflakes at multiple sites, including the Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre in Sheffield and the Alhambra Shopping Centre in Barnsley.

For the first time this Christmas, they will also be installing snowflakes at the historic Sheffield City Hall, the Doncaster Frenchgate Shopping Centre, as well as on St John’s Church, Owlerton.

Sophie Coburn, Corporate Partnerships Officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity explains: “Fizzco have been an invaluable partner in the snowflake project for three years now and without them, we simply couldn’t have brought the joy of our snowflake appeal to so many communities across Yorkshire.

“This year, they will be completing 14 nights of install work and helping with the install of more than 100 snowflakes across multiple sites. They are also amazing at finding innovative solutions to ensure snowflakes can safely be installed across a wide range of different buildings, often taking time out for site visits at short notice to evaluate them.

“It was a small token of our appreciation to see their partnership with us nominated for an award recently and they are constantly going above and beyond to help. To give just one example, they sourced some special blue LED rope lighting last year to help us pay a special tribute with our snowflakes to all the NHS staff during the pandemic. For everything you do, thank you Fizzco.”

Wendy Clarkson, Fizzco Managing Director, says, “Changing lives isn’t easy and finding sponsorship to make a difference for most charitable organisations can be tricky. This is where The Children’s Hospital Charity has created a unique and highly rewarding sponsorship idea that has raided much-needed funds.”

“We are thrilled to support and work with such a dedicated team, and we very much look forward to raising even more funds for the Charity in 2021.”

The snowflake appeal was crucial in fully funding the new Cancer and Leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, funding over £475,000 of the £2.75M cost.

Fundraising was completed for the new ward earlier this month, which sees patients from across the UK for chemotherapy, operations and bone marrow transplants. As well as a larger, brighter space, there will be a bigger playroom in the heart of the ward.

The new patient bedrooms will have more en-suite facilities, views of the local park and there will also be improved spaces for parents to stay with their children. It will also create a purpose-built break-out room for teenagers and young adults for the first time.

This year’s appeal will support Sheffield Children’s where it’s needed most, including by building a dedicated on-site Helipad on the roof of the Emergency Department.

A dedicated regional Major Trauma Centre, the department sees around 60,000 children every year from across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

The new £6m Helipad would help patients who urgently require critical care access our the specialist care they need as soon as possible.

To find out more about how you can sponsor a snowflake for Sheffield Children’s this Christmas please visit www.tchc.org.uk/how-you-can-help/snowflakes.html or e-mail [email protected].